1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a fluid display device which creates the illusion of a solid fluid stream with undulations and/or fluid droplets of rising, levitating or falling slowly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,021 discloses an optical illusion beverage dispensing device which creates the illusion of liquid droplets which appear to rise despite the act of filling a drinking glass. This illusion under certain conditions can be operated in room lighting provided that an enclosure and optical surface are properly designed to mask the ambient light of the room.
in a paper entitled Unique Optical Illusions from a Magician's Perspective published in the SOCIETY OF PHOTO-OPTICAL AND INSTRUMENTATION ENGINEERS PROCEEDINGS, Volume 391, Jan. 20 through 21, 1983 on pp. 91 through 102 various methods employed by magicians of levitating, defying gravity, and performing other illusions primarily with human beings and other solid props are discussed.
Various scientific museums have displays of engineering and scientific principles relating to gravity and strobe lights. The more notable are found at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, the Deutches Museum in Munich, the Evoluon in Einhoven, Holland, the Science Museum in Barcelona, and the Museums of Holography in New York and Stockholm.
Also, various family entertainment parks have displays of illusions of various sorts relying on certain scientific principles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,021, for example, can be seen in the Magic Shop in Tokyo Disneyland. The Ripley's Believe It or Not Exhibits and the Guiness Museum Exhibits which can be seen in various cities throughout the United States and abroad also contain various illusions relating to levitation and anti-gravity. The Ancol in Jakarta, the World Expo in Vancouver in 1986, EPCOT in Florida, and Tivoli in Stockholm also have various illusions which rely on holographic, optical, special effects, classical magic, or human perception principles.
None of the establishments mentioned above have displays or exhibits relating to the illusion of a solid fluid or water stream which rises, levitates or slowly falls. A popular exhibit at various amusement parks listed above and also available for purchase at various toy and gift shops involves a faucet which appears to float on a solid stream of water. This illusion, however, only relates to a falling stream of water, and on disassemblement of the illusion a clear plastic pipe is seen supporting the faucet or other spigot device. No illusion has ever been created which allows a viewer to see a slowly rising solid fluid or solid water stream with undulations which can also levitate or fall slowly, and which can be fully examined including physically touching the water stream.